Letter: Continue support for F-35 fighter jet

As a retired United States Army Master Sergeant, I understand the importance of ensuring the safety of those that proudly answer our nation's call to service. When I first joined the Army in the late 1980s we had roughly 1.2 million soldiers on active duty. Today that number is less than half and projected to be cut to nearly 400,000.

This drastic reduction in personnel is based largely on our nation's commitment to technological superiority on the battlefield. I stand in strong support of the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Jet. The program is part of our commitment to give our very best in uniform. A multi-role stealth fighter jet, the F-35 is a major advancement in defense aviation to better prepare our military for the threats we face today in places like Korea and Syria. The F-35 is even less detectable by radar, with unmatched speed and air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities.

Since an F117 was shot down by Serbian forces in 1999, other countries have had a first-hand look at our current stealth technology. China, Russia and others have spent billions of dollars in over a decade, making our current stealth technology obsolete. Not surprisingly the Chinese J-20 and the Russian T-50 have a familiar looking design and is believed to include upgrades ours don't.

The average age of our current fighter jets average between 23 and 34 years. Many of their pilots weren't even born when the jets were introduced. I've been recognized for my legal analysis over more then two decades, including in Korea working on combined unconventional warfare staff. I believe our very best deserve the best; they deserve this program.

I'm asking you and Wisconsin's congressional delegation's strong support of continued development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Barry Nelson

Manitowoc

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Letter: Continue support for F-35 fighter jet

As a retired United States Army Master Sergeant, I understand the importance of ensuring the safety of those that proudly answer our nation's call to service.

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